The versatility of contemporary electronic messaging services is growing and giving rise to new message formats and new devices with messaging capabilities. Emerging message formats (e.g. MMS (Multimedia. Message Service), SyncML, PoC (Push-to-Talk over Cellular), etc.) are complementing the traditional messaging services (e.g., e-mail, Short Message Service, instant messaging, etc.). Accordingly, many types of communication devices start to implement messaging capabilities whereas supporting different and not always compatible message and communication formats.
The problem of cross-platform messaging was recognized in the Prior Art and various systems were developed to provide a solution, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,412 (Brophy et al.) entitled “Systems and methods for providing unified multimedia communication services” discloses a platform employing a client/server architecture to provide an extensible set of real time and messaging communication services to a plurality of users. The platform allows the clients to configure and activate the services as each user wishes, thereby providing individual control over the communication services. The platform includes a server that allows a user to select how to participate in a communications event. This can include control over the end points and media over which the communications event occurs. The systems described herein additionally provide a framework for developing integrated voice and data services that can be deployed on the platform for extending the services available to the plurality of clients.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,564 (Appelman et al.) entitled “System for instant messaging the sender and recipients of an e-mail message” discloses techniques for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system including a host system structured and arranged to receive and deliver messages of various types between users of the communications system. The host system includes an instant messaging network; a mail gateway; and a configuring network in communication with both the instant messaging network and the mail gateway. The instant messaging network, enables instant messaging communication between users of the communications system and has the capability to monitor whether a certain user is capable of receiving an instant message at a particular moment. The mail gateway receives and delivers e-mail messages to users of the communications system. The configuring network is dedicated to automatically configuring instant messaging communication between an intended recipient of an e-mail message and the sender of the e-mail message.
US Patent Application No. 2003/158,902 (Volach) entitled “Multimedia instant communication system and method” discloses a rich content delivery system including a rich content unit to send multi-media communications generally instantly, a presence unit to communicate with the messaging, unit, and a network access layer to communicate with the rich content unit. Also described is a rich content delivery system for wireless devices including a rich content unit to send multi-media communications to wireless devices, a presence unit to communicate with the rich content unit, and a network access layer to communicate with said rich content unit.
US Patent Application No. 2003/191,816 (Landress) entitled “System and method for creating and delivering customized multimedia communications” discloses a system and business methodology for providing interactive and customizable digital full-motion, animated and static multimedia content, to be used for communicating unique personalized entertainment, information, and messages and advertising to be delivered via the internet, electronic mail, or any other methods of delivering interpersonal communications and messages. The communications and messages are initiated and received by senders and recipients visiting a host site of the system through the internet. Content within the customized communication includes content personally relevant to a user which is integrally associated with sponsorship or advertising information. Creation of a customized communication begins by selection of a content item by a user, which content may be personalized by graphical editing techniques. Personalized or non-personalized content may be executed in parallel or in series with other content items in a multi-linear playback sequence compiled according to a predetermined script to produce a finished customized multimedia communication. The host site also provides other features and products desirable to users, such as screensavers, reminder services, etc.
US Patent Application No. 2004/177,117 (Huang) entitled “Method of sharing multimedia” discloses a multimedia sharing method for email message recipient, involving integrating multimedia file into template to construct email message that is transmitted to recipient, and opening file when message is received.
US Patent Application No. 2004/177,119 (Mason et al.) entitled “System and method for presence enabled e-mail delivery” discloses a telecommunications system including a network, a destination multimedia server, and a destination presence server coupled to the network. A plurality of multimedia clients is also coupled to the network. The multimedia clients include a presence option and are adapted to be able to select whether the option is to be activated. In operation, when a client sends an e-mail to another client, the destination multimedia server receives the e-mail and determines if the recipient supports presence. If so, the destination multimedia server sends a query to the destination presence server to check the recipient's presence. If the recipient is present, the message can be delivered. If not, the message can be held on the server until the recipient is present.
US Patent Application No. 2004/267,884 (Sar-Shalom) entitled “Automatic messaging client launcher for a communication device” discloses an automatic messaging client launcher for a communication device which automatically launches the communication device's messaging client, when the device is calling a currently unavailable destination communication device. The automatic messaging client launcher consists of an availability detector and a messaging initiator. The availability detector determines if the communication device being called is available. If the destination device is unavailable, the messaging initiator launches the messaging client.
US Patent Application No. 2005/15,443 (Levine et al.) entitled “Personal message delivery system” discloses a system comprising a plurality of interfaces configured to interface with plurality of subscribers communication devices using a plurality of formats. A group service module is provided configured to maintain communication among groups of the subscribers. A platform conversion module is also provided and is coupled to the plurality of interfaces and the group services modules configured to connect each of the plurality of the subscribers within a group, regardless of the communication protocols used by the subscribers.
US Patent Application No. 2005/33,852 (Tenhunen) entitled “System, apparatus, and method for providing presence boosted message service reports” discloses a system, apparatus, and method for automatically providing presence information using existing messaging services. Backward messaging such as read reports and delivery reports automatically include presence information from presence server according to user preferences contained within profile database. The presence information may be disseminated through any messaging service, such as the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and is also supported by Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) signalling.
US Patent Application No. 2005/120,309 (Jang) entitled “Method of and apparatus for displaying messages on a mobile terminal” discloses a method and apparatus simultaneously displaying the main text and/or more attached filed of a message received in a mobile terminal. This simultaneous display allows a user to confirm the main text and attached files in the message. The main text and attached files may be shown in respective areas of the display.
US Patent application No. 2005/136,953 (Jo et al.) entitled “User interface for creating multimedia message of mobile communication terminal and method thereof” discloses a user interface for creating a multimedia message of a mobile communication terminal in which menu fields for creating a multimedia message are displayed in one screen, and when inputting content for each menu field is completed, it is automatically switched to a multimedia message-creating screen in which a selecting bar is positioned at the next field. In addition, while a user is using a multimedia function, a current image can be switched to the multimedia message-creating screen according to a user's need. Thus, the number of user's key manipulations can be reduced in creating the multimedia message, thereby enhancing a user's convenience.
US Patent Application No. 2005/144,236 (firing) entitled “Identifying a device to a network” discloses a method comprising: a) receiving one of a Short Message Service, Enhanced Message Service, Multimedia Message Service, and SyncML message; b) extracting a device identifier from the message; and c) applying the device identifier to determine a device status. The device comprises information about the device's capabilities to receive, process, and display information and location information about the location of the mobile device. For example, device information may comprise information about the device's graphic display capabilities, communication bandwidth, and processor speed while the location information may be useful when delivering services to the device. Location information may be ‘literal’, e.g. a graphic address or location, or ‘logical’, e.g. “In a Meeting”, “In Transit”, and so on. The wireless network comprises subscriber information, device status, permissions and media delivery preferences. The media delivery preferences include information about the manner in which information should be communicated to the subscriber. Examples include frame rate, color schemes, visual quality, and visual layout.
US Patent Application No. 2005/144,247 (Christensen et al.), entitled “Method and system for voice on demand private message chat”, discloses a system and method for establishing a private message chat between electronic devices. The method includes steps of providing an indication as to the availability of a user for receiving a private message chat; receiving an audio input message from at least one first client; and transmitting the audio input message to at least one second client over a communications network, wherein the at least one second client can receive, temporarily store and play back the audio input message. The first client may receive a reply audio input message from the at least one second client or, receive a reply text input message from the at least one second client, and subsequently may further communicate back to the second client device via one of audio or text messaging, according to that user's discretion. The transmitting of any audio input message may be accomplished via VoIP or SIP.
US Patent Application No. 2005/159,135 (Kim) entitled “System and method for making a multimedia message service compatible with non-supported terminals” discloses a system and method for making a multimedia message service compatible with a non supported multimedia message terminal. The system comprises a first system for converting a format of a multimedia message and transmitting a uniform resource locator and an access code of the converted multimedia message in response to a receiving terminal being detected as the non-supported multimedia message terminal. The system further comprises a second system for receiving the converted multimedia message, and transmitting the uniform resource locator and the access code to the non-supported multimedia terminal. The non-supported multimedia terminal receives the converted multimedia message.
US Patent Application No. 2005/235,038 (Donatella et al.) entitled “Method of and apparatus for server-side management of buddy lists” discloses a method of contact lists management in a presence enabled application supported by a communication system and having a client side on a user equipment and a server side within a presence enabled network accessible by the users through said communication system, the application being of a type in which uses of the application forum time-variable virtual communities of users that temporarily interact for the purposes of the application. The method includes: users' registration with the server-side of the application, to provide candidates for the virtual communities; creation, from the candidates, of a list of the members of each virtual community in a buddy list management unit in the presence enabled network; notification of the buddy list by the list management unit to client units in the user equipment of members of the community; and displaying the notified list on the user equipment of each member receiving it.
US Patent Application No. 2005/243,978 (Son et al.) entitled “System and method of interworking messages between mobile communication terminals” discloses a system for inter-working messages of a mobile communications terminal employing a method of receiving by a first messaging service server a multimedia message sent by a first user client of a first messaging service, processing the multimedia message at the first messaging service server and at a second messaging service server, and providing by the second messaging service server the processed multimedia message to a second user client of a second messaging service. The message includes a parameter that indicates the originating messaging service type or the recipient messaging service type as a field or an indicator in the header portion or body portion of the message.
US Patent Application No. 2006/53,227 (Ye et al.) entitled “Multi-media messaging” discloses methods, systems, and machine-readable mediums for creating multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a message in a first format, adapting the message to a MMS message, and sending the MMS message to a user device.
US Patent Application No. 2006/146,997 (Qian et al.) entitles “Communications system and method for providing customized messages based on presence and preference information” discloses communication systems which when a caller requests a communication session, e.g., voice, text or multimedia, with a callee, but due to the unavailability of the callee, the communication session is unable to be established, a message is generated and transmitted to the caller based only on the callee's presence information. Current systems have the disadvantage that they do not allow a callee to provide different presence information to different callers. This disadvantage is overcome by the application in that a communication manager which transmits a response to a caller has access to preference information which includes policies for different priority levels of callers. Thereby the response can be customized to said caller. In particular, the preference information of the called subscriber determines the type and amount of the called subscriber's presence information that is disclosed to the caller in the customized message.